Posted by
Rocky Mountain Foundation on Monday, January 18, 2010 10:37:25 AM
NEWS RELEASE
Monday, January 18, 2010
For Release 9:00 AM MST
Contact: Carol Koeppen 303-988-5536
Tancredo Decries "Cynical" Obama Amnesty
for 200,000 Illegal Alien Haitians
Lakewood, CO -- Former Congressman Tom Tancredo today attacked the Friday decision by the Obama administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to 200,000 Haitian nationals who were in the country illegally prior to the January 12 earthquake. TPS status gives them protection from deportation for 18 months.
"This action grants de facto amnesty to 200,000 or more illegal aliens while doing nothing to help the survivors of the devastating earthquake," said Tancredo. "Obama’s action is nothing but a sop to the open borders lobby."
"Americans are responding to the Haiti devastation as we always do, by millions of individual acts of charity and generosity. But Obama’s action in giving protected status to 200,000 illegal aliens already in the U.S. is a cynical exploitation of that horrific situation," said Tancredo.
"TPS status for illegal Haitians will do nothing to help Haiti," said Tancredo, "but Obama thinks it will help the Democrat party. As has happened so many times in the past, the initial 18-month time limit on the TPS will be extended again and again under the excuse that the country has not yet fully recovered from the natural disaster."
"I call it cynical because everyone knows that illegal aliens are in no danger of deportation in the first place," observed Tancredo. "The only illegal aliens being deported are criminal aliens who have served jail terms for serious crimes. Now those criminals will be released back into the community instead of being sent home."
Tancredo also warned of a danger from Haitian gang members gaining entry to the U.S. by claiming refugee status. "It is well known that Haiti is plagued by many violent street gangs. It might well help Haiti’s recovery to bring all of them to the U.S. as refugees, but I doubt the citizens of Florida or Texas or Illinois see that as a humanitarian duty."
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